US Congress urged to demand Nigeria abolish Sharia Law, dissolve Hisbah commissions

The United States lawmakers have been urged to pressure the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in northern states where they has been adopted and disband the religious-enforcement Hisbah commissions amid warnings that these laws and groups are deepening anti-Christian persecution.

Speaking on Tuesday, December 2, at a joint congressional briefing convened by the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, testified that the primary drivers of violence are Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militants.

He told the lawmakers that terrorists exploit Sharia frameworks and Hisbah officials to impose extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with near-total impunity.

A statement issued by the Appropriations Committee quoted Obadare as outlining a strategy for dealing with the violence and killings.

“The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralise Boko Haram. Second, the United States should put pressure on President Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the twelve northern states where they have been adopted since 2000 and to disband the various Hisbah groups across northern states seeking to impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.”

Obadare also acknowledged efforts by the Federal Government in response to pressure from the United States.

“As recent events have shown, the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives,” he said, adding that “Washington must keep up the pressure.”

The bipartisan session, led by Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and involving the House Foreign Affairs Committee, heard repeated accusations that the Nigerian government is complicit in what lawmakers called “religious cleansing” across the north and Middle Belt.

Witnesses cited the November 22 abduction of children and teachers from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, what they described as ongoing blasphemy-law imprisonments, and mass killings, rejecting claims that the violence stems solely from resource disputes.

Obadare emphasised the roots of the crisis, saying, “The deadliest and most serious threat confronting the Nigerian state today is jihadist terror, perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram.

“Boko Haram translates to ‘Western education is forbidden.’ Boko Haram’s barbarous and implacable campaign to overthrow the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic caliphate in its stead is the source of Nigeria’s present discontents.

“Every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter.”

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) labelled Nigeria “ground zero” for global anti-Christian persecution, while Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) demanded the disarmament of militias and prosecution of attackers.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler and Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson detailed recent atrocities and called for Washington to use security-aid leverage, early-warning systems, and targeted sanctions to force accountability.

Lawmakers from both parties signalled support for Díaz-Balart’s FY26 appropriations language addressing the crisis.

They announced that the Appropriations Committee is drafting a formal report to President Trump with concrete recommendations, including potential conditions on U.S. assistance to Nigeria.